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Scranton edges PawSox in 11 |
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Wednesday, 13 August 2008 |
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By MIKE SCANDURA Contributing Writer PAWTUCKET - Just when it appeared the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees and the Pawtucket Red Sox might play longer than it took the Boston Red Sox to beat the Texas Rangers, 19-17, on Tuesday night, the teams “only” played 4 hours and 17 minutes.
The Yankees won, 8-6, to increase their lead over Pawtucket to 2 ½ games in the North Division.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre snapped a 6-6 tie in the 11th against Jose Vaquedano.
Shelley Duncan drew a one-out walk, Ben Broussard singled, and after Cody Ransom looked at a third strike, Eric Duncan roped a two-run double to left.
Bizarre is the appropriate adjective when used to describe the 10th inning.
The Yankees broke a 2-2 tie against the normally-reliable Chris Smith.
With one out, Smith hit Ben Broussard with a pitch and then wild-pitched him to second. Cody Ransom lined an RBI single to center.
Eric Duncan walked and Chad Moeller lined an 0-2 pitch just inside the left-field foul pole for his first home run of the season and a 6-2 lead.
But just like the Boston Red Sox went run-happy at Fenway against Texas, the PawSox emulated the big club by scoring four runs to tie it at 6-6.
In order, Jeff Corsaletti reached on an infield hit and Gil Velazquez doubled him to third.
Corsaletti scored on Sean Danielson’s single and Jeff Bailey followed with a single.
Steven Jackson replaced Scott Strickland at that point and was greeted by Joe Thurston’s ground-rule double that pulled Pawtucket within 6-4.
Jackson then walked Keith Ginter to load the bases, and after George Kottaras fanned, Dusty Brown lofted a game-tying, sacrifice fly to center.
Devern Hansack cruised through the first 2 1/3 innings, allowing only a leadoff
infield hit by Brett Gardner in the first. But in the second, the Yankees carved
out a run on two soft hits.
Chris Basak, the No. 9 hitter, blooped a “hustle” double to right field that just
kissed off the glove of a diving Bailey and scored on Gardner’s chop single over
the head of third baseman Ginter.
Hansack then wiggled out of a fourth-inning jam when Broussard and Cody Ransom drew
two-out walks. But Hansack retired Eric Duncan on a liner to left.
Hansack began the sixth in impressive fashion by fanning Matt Carson and Juan
Miranda. But after Shelly Duncan singled, manager Ron Johnson yanked Hansack in
favor of Jon Switzer and the Yankees scored for a 2-0 lead.
With Broussard at-bat, Switzer uncorked a wild pitch and Broussard scored easily on
Broussard’s single to left.
But the Yankees’ lead lasted only until the bottom of the sixth when the PawSox
rallied for two runs.
Bailey ignited the rally by roping a one-out double to left-center and Joe
Thurston walked. Mark Melancon replaced Hughes at that point and emulated Switzer
by also uncorking wild pitch. Then, Ginter blooped a two-run single to center.
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EXTRA BASES: The PawSox held a moment of silence before the game in honor of Cody
Miley, the 17-year-old son of Yankees manager Dave Miley, who was killed in a
one-car accident on Monday morning in Tampa … PawSox outfielder Jonathan Van Every
missed his sixth straight game with a strained oblique muscle … In his last 11
starts, Hansack is 3-1 with seven no-decisions and a 2.52 ERA … During this span,
encompassing 71 2/3 innings, Hansack’s allowed only 47 hits plus 16 walks and has
struck out 76.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 August 2008 )
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